peteski

True, but it is not the same. Some users reported that the paper is nothing like what TangoPapa used to sell. I personally don't use it so I didn't pay too much attention, but I do remember people not being happy about the change. Here is a thread about this from last December: https://alps.groups.io/g/ALPS/topic/decal_paper/103422747

Yes Alps is capable of printing white, and also metallic colors.

Thanks Tommy. Interesting. The rims and the mounting hardware look identical to mine, but mine came with hard resin, smaller and lower profile tires. These tires look useful. I'm also puzzled about the seller. Mine was in Ukraine, and had high number of feedbacks. This seller is in Germany with not many feedbacks. The listing also mentions that they might not ship to USA. I would have to contact the seller to find out. If the shipping cost is as high as what many other German sellers charge, plus the 20 Euro price for the wheels would make this rather expensive.

Thanks for the link. Few years ago I found 14" Mercedes Barock rims by ATS on eBay. Those wheels were sold by DiOlex Production in Ukraine. They look like resin castings of a 3-D printed master. The set also included resin tires, but those are unsuitable for this model. I'm still looking for suitable tires to fit those 14" rims.

Yes, it sure is!

I also belong to multiple groups on groups.io, but I selected no-email option. Instead emails, I exclusively access the groups through the Web interface. It is very similar to how an online forum like this is accessed. The messages can be grouped by threads, so you don't get lost in all those emails you your Inbox. And of course you have full access to the message archive (for searching it), and other features like Files and Photos section. Highly recommended.

When you get more advanced in your LED knowledge you will find out that you can operate multiple (any color) LEDs connected in parallel with the power source,. You just have to use series-connected resistor with each LED. You can also use those resistors to control brightness of the LEDs

That is a great tip. So the aluminum does not wrinkle during the doming process? How do you punch them out (or does the doming process already do that)?

The Facebook group is basically an offshoot of the groups.io group. The groups.io one has lots of reference material in the Files section and in the message archive. Facebook is not really suited for that type of archival storage. Don't ever use ink jet paper in Alps printers. It is not about the toner but about the special liquid-ink absorbing layer on the surface of Ink Jet paper. That can jam the head and break the ink ribbon. And yes, head damage is the main reason for those printers failing. You can get the printer to work with current versions of Windows, but you have to set up a virtual machine and run older version of Windows in it. It is a pain to do. I still have a dual-boot Windows98SE/XP PC dedicated to use with my printer. To me that is the most painless solution

There are always several Feeling43 resin kits listed on eBay for over $1000. with no takers. Granted (just like Scalekraft) Feelign43 is gone, and their kits are really well details, but those prices see a bit unrealistic too.

I just saw one of those errors. I waited about 10 seconds, clicked "Try again" - same error. Another 10 seconds or so, clicked 'Try again" and the forum came up. That does not look to be browser related - more host related. EDIT: same error showed up again just as I hit the "Submit reply" button to post this message. But the message went through.

Superb modeling! You have an eye for all the fine details which usually gets missed, like the creases on the exhaust pipe bends, or the oil change sticker on the door, and the striker mechanism to mention just few. I also enjoyed not seeing the seam line on the transmission. You must have put some serious time building these models! Fun time!

Thomas, your model came out great! Also, superb job on the BMF. I have couple of those kits to be built and I just hate the kit's tires. Their tread that looks like it belongs on a truck. The wheels scale out to only around 13" too. But they look pretty darn good in your photos.

That sure is an interesting model, but I'm confused about its designation. My mom owned a T3 VW 1600 TL fastback, and the "TL" designation was specifically used for a fastback. The T3 1600 Variant is the station wagon. I didn't think Variants also had the "TL" designation.

Those are not very good examples of realistic photoetched wipers. The goal is to bend the arm 90 degrees at the location it joins the blade structure. But those do not seem to be designed for that. Even if you can bend it, the base of the arm will still be too thin in the cross section to look realistic. I "rolled my own" wipers when I built my Peterbuilt wrecker, and also my '57 Chevy. These are made from cut off leads from 5mm LEDs. Those are 0.020" square cross section wire. On the arm I built up the thicker lower section using solder iron and solder,then filed it to the tapered shape. Then the blade is formed from pieces of the same wire soldered together. The Chevy has a simplified blade (it is 1:32 scale model). Lastly, I spray painted it silver to blend everything together. It is quite a bit of extra work, but the wipers look realistic to me.

I agree about the light, but I also used a much stronger UV flashlight, and stickiness remained. I was able to get rid of almost all of the stickiness after letting the resin sit in sunlight for some time. This was all just experiments to see how the stuff works. Maybe I have bad batch of Bondic?

Yes, I'm an Alps owner and I believe there are others here. I prefer using Bare-Metal Foil clear decal paper for laser printers. There are others, but BMF is the best for me. Pricey, but I don't print many decals and if you ask BMF, they offer quantity discounts. Since you you are already a member of Alps Groups.io, you can also ask your decal paper question there. There is lots of useful info on that group. Also, if you haven't visited https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm give it a read - lots of helpful info. EDIT: there was a recent related discussion on the Alps Group: https://alps.groups.io/g/ALPS/topic/decal_paper/103422747

Yes, it is a shame. I don't have any inside info, but judging by how long MV products were in business I suspect that the owner either retired or passed away. I doubt very much that he was young enough to still be deployed to the military. More and more older cottage industries are shutting down, usually due to the age of the owner and the fact that nobody wants to take over the business.

Those look good Gary, but why you are calling it "Bondic", when it is clearly another brand of UV-cured resin? As I mentioned when I tried actual Bondic, after curing it remained slightly rubbery and its surface was sticky. "Bondic" is just a trade name for a specific resin. Calling your resin "Bondic" does a disservice to modelers looking to replicate your success.

Excellent Alex! If I may suggest something, when you take nighttime photos with the lights on, they will look better if you don't take them in almost total darkness. That way the truck will remain visible. Like in this photo (not my model). Or this:

Seems that MV Products used different resins over time (some of my older lenses are still clear, while others have yellowed). Nice feature of those lenses was the realistic looking reflector. Yes, you can cast clear lenses, but those will no have a reflector. There is a company that makes nice looking headlights which consist of an etched stainless steel fluted base and a convex drop of resin over that. Those look pretty good. Of course I don't recall the name of that company.

Exactly!

Looking good! You started with the toughest one! Probably a good idea to get it over with first.

Looking good Mark. Are those tires the same as what ARII sells in their wheel and tire sets? Those have the proper tread pattern but the sidewall's shape is a bit wonky.

Like Steve, I have not seen this product on sale around where I live in USA. If it is similar to Easy-Off original formula aerosol, and being a gel, it would be less messy way to strip paint and "chrome" from plastic.